Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Sinan said: Imam Rida (peace be upon him) wrote in reply to a questioner: ... The reason for performing the hajj is arriving before Allah the Mighty and Majestic, seeking increase [in blessings], coming out of the sins that the servant has committed, repenting from ugly past deeds and beginning anew for what is to come, in addition to spending wealth, putting the body to hardship, turning away from family and children, restraining the self from pleasures, travelling in heat and cold and remaining in that state for a long period, over and above other acts of worship and obedience, with humility, reverence and self-abasement. In addition to this, the benefits and wisdom contained in this act of worship are for all people. What has been said is so that in the servants a desire and inclination toward the Exalted Creator may arise, and that at the same time awe and fear of the Most Holy Divine Presence be kept in the heart, and that hardness be removed from their hearts, and that meanness and baseness be removed from their souls, and that forgetfulness of remembrance and the cutting off of hope and expectation be kept far from them, and that rights be renewed and souls be prevented from corruption. Beyond these, the benefits of this act of worship are for all servants: the people of the east and the people of the west, dwellers on land and people upon the sea, pilgrims and non-pilgrims, merchants and non-merchants, seller and buyer, tradesman and poor person, mule-hirer and other needy folk. Among the benefits of this act of worship is the fulfilling of the needs of people of the outlying regions and surroundings in places where it is possible for them to gather for the hajj.